Up the Yangtze

With a humanist gaze and wry wit, Chang returns to the gorgeous, now-disappearing landscape of his grandfather’s youth to trace the surreal life of a “farewell cruise” that traverses an epic waterway forever changed by the largest hydroelectric project in history, the Three Gorges Dam. Chang’s “Upstairs-Downstairs” approach captures the microcosmic society aboard the luxury liner. Below deck: a bewildered young girl trains as a dishwasher, sent to work on the ship by her peasant family whose home will be submerged by the floodwaters of the Yangtze. Above deck: a phalanx of wealthy international tourists are out to catch a last glance of a disappearing way of life. The teenage employees serving them, now tagged by upper management with Westernized names like “Cindy” and “Jerry,” warily grasp at the prospect of a more prosperous future. Singularly moving and cinematically breathtaking, Up the Yangtze gives a human dimension to wrenching change.

Free for members or with Museum admission. Film only: $8 general, $7 students and seniors.

Sponsored by the Portland Chinese Times.

Whitsell Auditorium